Patch cables

[bcresci]

I need to pick up a few more shorties for connecting some new pedals. Have read differing opinions on whether the expensive cables are worth the money given the short length. What's everyone using to connect pedals, and how do you like them?

[tcsned]

You'll get as many opinions as there are types of cables. I've never been one to spend money on expensive cables as my ears can't really hear a difference. I know Stevie Ray Vaughn used to use those cheap, gray, coiled radio shack cables and his tone didn't seem to suffer. When I took a studio recording class here at VT we did a test between speaker cable that was several hundred dollars for a few feet and a cord we cut off a lamp and a really nice Earthworks mic recorded no difference.

[JonnyBoy]

Ha! that is a neat test, am sure those that have paid for sterling silver speaker wire are pissed. Or, at least they have a marketable investment in silver.

[jx2638]

I use the shortest Monster Cable patch...with the molded plastic plugs. I've never had a problem with them and they travel hard in my peadlboard case. Even the "low end" Monsters come with a Lifetime Warranty...which was a main selling point for me. I got a couple of 2 ft-3ft Planet Waves cables recently which also came with the Lifetime Warranty and so far have performed well. The Lifetime Warranty makes an ebay purchase a bit safer too.

[JonnyBoy]

I need to pick up a few more shorties for connecting some new pedals. Have read differing opinions on whether the expensive cables are worth the money given the short length. What's everyone using to connect pedals, and how do you like them?

I went to ebay and bought a bunch of neutrik connectors and cut up a cable that was giving me shorting issue (first find the short so you don't include it in another cable) and made me a bunch. Also, you can get raw cable and connectors on ebay and make your own and save money.

[tcsned]

Lifetime warranty is as valuable as anything with cables IMHO.

[Chuckles]

I've had great success and been very happy with the Planet Waves solderless make-your-own thing.

[SarnoMusicSolutions]

Cables do make a difference, BUT the real differences are noticeable between a passive guitar and whatever the first active device is. If you have a buffer in your guitar, then cable makes FAR less difference because not only is the pickup buffered (isolated) from the cable preventing any interaction with the pickup, but also the buffer's output impedance is VERY low meaning that there is far less reactance with the cable.

It's true that you really can hear differences among cables, and it's proven that capacitance is not the only factor. Copper purity, grain length, gauge, strands, plating, insulator, shield wire, shield wrap or braid pattern, and many more factors seem to contribute to this. BUT these sonic differences are nearly undetectable after the signal has been made active and driven at low impedance. So the good thing for us using buffers and the OBEL loop setup is that we really don't need to spend our money on exotic cable, good cable will do.

That being said, if you want some killer patch cables, seriously good and also convenient to work with, check out the Evidence Audio "Monorail".

http://www.evidenceaudio.com//product.html

It works with the George L's solderless plugs. Great for pedalboards and patch cables. Evidence apparently makes some great sounding cable. I think it's David Gilmour and maybe Kimock who dig the Lyric cable made by Evidence. It's interesting that it uses a solid (not stranded) core conductor, kind of like video cable.

So if your guitar has no buffer, then sure, go for the highly rated exotic stuff. If buffered, save your money.

Brad